Some sleep under the trees or live out of their cars. KC Espinoza spent a month crashed on a friend’s couch.

The Frisco teen didn’t consider himself homeless. But he was.

Espinoza, 18, eventually found help through a nonprofit that provides transitional housing to homeless teens. City House, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in Plano this year, is now making plans to expand into Frisco.

Many of these young people come from abusive homes. Some have parents who are also homeless.

Some are thrown out of the house because parents don’t have the money or the time to deal with them. Others run away. But none of them is ready to be out on his or her own.

“We’re trying to create an environment in Collin County where we take care of our youth,” City House executive director Teresa Keenan said.

Last year, Frisco ISD identified more than 25 homeless teens. An annual count in Collin County last fall identified another 100 homeless youths through the Plano, Allen and McKinney school districts.

Two years ago, several Frisco leaders, churches, charities and volunteers started meeting regularly to find a solution. From that effort came the idea to pair up with City House, which operates two homes for homeless youths in Plano.

These four-bedroom homes in Plano each have room for six youths ages 18 to 22. A house manager offers guidance and counseling. The youths split up the household chores and get help with schooling and jobs. They also attend regular classes on time management, personal finance and other skills.

“It’s getting them prepared for life,” Keenan said.

City House also has a drop-in center in Plano that offers counseling, care packages, food, shower facilities, and computers for youths who are runaways or at risk of running away. About 60 youths used the center in July.

Ann Harris said Frisco has grown so fast in recent years that some of its social services needs aren’t being met.

“I have a big heart for these kids,” said Harris, who along with Christine Ortega has been working on the initiative to expand City House. Their first hurdle: “We had to get people aware in Frisco that there’s a homeless problem,” she said.

Ortega used to volunteer with shelters in Los Angeles and never thought of homelessness as an issue in a Collin County suburb.

“It looks so different here,” said Ortega, who works at Preston Trail Community Church, the first to donate to the Frisco initiative. “It’s not as visible. People aren’t as aware. And there aren’t as many places to turn to.”

City House is raising the $1 million needed to open two homes in Frisco — one for girls and one for boys. The money would cover buying the homes, renovating them and furnishing them. It also allows the purchase of a van for each home, staffing and operational costs such as food and utilities. Annual operating costs will be about $250,000 to $300,000 for the two homes in subsequent years.

The goal is to further expand into McKinney and Allen in future years.

“Everybody needs to step up,” Harris said. “It takes a community.”

Retired school counselor Nancy Boyd founded City House along with Kay Goodman 25 years ago. At the time, Boyd said, they had no money — just a lot of passion. Plano residents rallied around their cause. That needs to happen in Frisco now, she said.

“These are not bad kids,” Keenan said of the young people who are screened before being accepted into the program. “They just need some kindness.”

With help from City House, Espinoza will be the first in his family to graduate from high school. He’s finishing his senior year through the online program in Plano ISD. He’s already training with the Coast Guard. He plans to study to be a neurosurgeon.

“If this program wasn’t here, I honestly don’t think I’d finish school,” said Espinoza, who became homeless after troubles with his father. “I’ll be the first one [in my family] to do something with my life.”